Sunday, 15th November - Margaret River, WA

What - Christmas plans already????

Our son Nathan is in Christmas mode already - Help! Not yet! - We're still on the other side of the country! He has been asking what I want for Christmas and I decided that some furniture kits for the 1:48scale Sea Shanty that Peter is giving me would be perfect. It also occured to me that it was time to order the kit for the Sea Shanty! So I have spent a delightful evening browsing the net to decide the source for the kit and furniture kits. In the end I decided to order from Karen Cary herself; it is her design and she seems to offer more in the kit. So now I have to put in the order - what fun! I have saved  pictures of it from the website and put themt here - so you can see how it is supposed to come out. So this is not a mini make yet - but watch this space, for ongoing news about this project!

Just before I left Sydney on our trip around Australia earlier this year (see my other blog http://sandrafromsydney.blogspot.com/) I joined yet another online group, Quarter Connection, and I hope to become more involved on my return.  I found that several people I know from other groups to which I belong are also members - and the work done by so many of the members is amazing.  We are all finding that space is running out for those larger projects and we can still get a high level of realism and detail in 1:48 scale.  I am really looking forward to doing the Sea Shanty!

My first Quarter Scale Project

Australian Colonial Cottage

I bought this kit for an Australian Colonial Cottage from AMEA, which is the Australian Miniatures Enthusiasts Association. It is a kit by Pam Junk, made especially for an AMEA Convention several years ago. The style of cottage is still widely seen throughout cities and rural towns, and features the traditional verandah across the front and an iron water tank at the side. I wanted to get it constructed in time to display at the Sydney Miniatures Fair which is held on the first weekend in May each year.

When I first bought the kit several years ago, I opened the box and sorted and labelled all the bits. I did the first couple of steps, which involved painting walls and staining timber; then discovered I had ten thumbs instead of only two! In the end I put the pieces carefully carefully back into bags making sure I labelled what they were, and put the whole thing away until such time I felt I had gained more experience with 1:12th scale.

Finally this year I took a deep breath, so to speak, and decided to tackle it again. At first I could not work out what on earth I had done, but bit by bit I worked it out and as I worked through the steps I found that the mental block I had developed began to dissolve. For this size project the wallpaper has to be put on before the walls are constructed, and the interior trims added as you go.

After the wallpaper, trims and interior wall were done I could add the ceiling, do the electictricals and then the roof. Then with the verandah screens at each end, the posts and the verandah roof it really began to take shape. Having it on the roll of masking tape (right) shows just how little this cottage really is!

Time to move on to the landscaping, and I really had fun with the trees - the first ones I had done by myself. I got a bit carried away here, I was having such fun, making a large one and a small one. The photo here shows the large one underway.

Every Aussie country home needs a water tank on a stand and the tank was included in the kit too. I added a stand for it. A park bench kit for the side of the house was fun to do - after this photo I had to take it apart and redo the seat because when I was taking the photo I moved the slats on the seat part. The kit also included a birdbath which I filled with some PVA glue to make 'water' for the birds, and findings to make a little 'wrought iron' table and chairs.

Then I got busy and added the greenery provided for the shrubs and vines. Where there were gaps or the fence hadn't joined exactly I put more little bits, and some touches along the base of the fence as well. I had some of my own and added some extra. And some more. And some more..... Got a bit carried away there, too, but it was fun and I love the overgrown cottage look it has now. The trellis over the front gate gives it a lovely welcoming look, I think, and it has 'flowers' on the vines too. The front view of the cottage shows this quite well.

Of course, it is no use having just an empty cottage. It was a little daunting to tackle my first 1/4" scale furniture kits but it needed to be done. Pam Junk's lovely little lounge chair and sofa with its coordinating skirted table was perfect for this room, and I was really pleased with my first effort at upholstering in such a tiny scale. And the second photo shows them in place in the cottage lounge room. For display I reduced some family photos and put them on the mantlepiece and on the table, and made a tiny clock to also go on the mantlepiece.

The bedroom also has some Pam Junk furniture kits - a lovely bed, wardrobe and bedside table. I used the chest that was included with the lounge furniture (I think) in the bedroom, painting it to match, and added some decals to all of them. I had some fabric that was perfect to cover the bed with, and I bought the chair. It came with a cat, which was great because all my scenes or houses have to have a cat in them vbg! For some reason I don't have a photo of the bedroom here at the moment so when I get back from my trip I will take one and add it to this blog.


I did actually have it ready to display at the Fair, though it didn't have the extras I would have liked to have added: mats, pictures on the walls, etc. In a swap with Joy, another member of the Stay at Home Miniaturists Club, I was lucky enough to receive a tiny hand-turned wooden bowl with hand-made fimo fruit in it, which is perfect for the cottage, or maybe another one when I do one lol! But it does need more personal touches.  I will add more photos as I do those.

BIG Plans for little things in 2010

I have always loved 'little things' and when I was a child used to make little 'houses' from shoeboxes etc, and furniture from matchboxes. Then my dad made a dollhouse - but to my disappointment it was a contemporary single storey style house, not a traditional Victorian multi-storey one. However I gained many years of enjoyment from it. Then when a subscription dollhouse was advertised I started collecting the issues, and found we had a dollhouse B&M store here in Sydney - what an eye-opener! Through that I discovered the adult world of miniatures and miniature collecting. A few months after that I went to my first Miniatures Fair and was simply overwhelmed – and thus began a very pleasant addiction indeed!

Now I have several 1:12^th scale dollhouses, shops and roomboxes (1:12^th scale is one inch to one foot); two 1:24^th scale houses and an altered book roombox; and am embarking on a series of 1:48 scale projects – it was either that or move out of the house and live in the shed lol!

I belong to several on-line miniatures groups. The three main ones are the Green Socks on Left Foot on Tuesday Club or GSOLFOT (long story – check out the website), the main criteria for membership being a strong streak of craziness (but we do do minis too!); the Stay at Home Miniaturists Club, for people who can’t join a regular club for some reason; and Petitpointers, which is great for all kinds of miniature needlework. The Sockees are great for laughs and a virtual existence as well as MAKES and swaps; the SaHMC has wonderful classes and swaps; and Petitpointers provides great incentive for getting on with those large projects. SaHMC has 'Sunday Show & Tell' each week, where photos can be posted of minis completed; and Petitpointers has Progress Photos on the 10th of each month, where completed projects are shown (as well as during the month) or progress on large projects is shown. All three groups are full of warm, friendly and supportive people, who patiently answer questions about everything and anything – mini related or not, and they are just great to belong to!

So here are some of my ongoing projects that I hope to share with you on this blog in 2010:

Cartwright’s Store – set in the 1930’s, pre -war so there is no rationing. Grocery store with living quarters above. Bought ready made but with the inside unfinished, simply painted white. Stairs are supplied but not installed. I do not plan to put them in, but will put in a false doorway in the back wall so suggest a hallway beyond. There are four floors including the attic.

So far it is totally empty and undecorated. I have however been collecting - lots of produce for the shop, a stove of appropriate period for the living quarters. I need to make a final decision about the layout of the rooms on the 2nd floor and the attic. The 1st floor will house the kitchen and the parlour. The 2nd floor will have the main bedroom and probably another small bedroom. The attic will contain two rooms - either a bathroom and storage space or another bedroom and a bathroom.

Coventry Cottage – Victorian cottage, made from Greenleaf kit. Nearly completed – would like to finish it off for this year’s Fair. Basically just needs landscaping and a little bit of adjusting of the shingles on the roof.
Carrington Villa – this is a craftsman-built house, constructed by a retired engineer. It was my retirement present to myself and is Gothic Revival in style, based on a house in Grafton, NSW. He has used 100-year old cedar in it, and it is all cut by him. The doors were made by him, 4-panel as I requested instead of the 6-panel he had been doing. It comes complete with its own table with a turntable.

The rooms have all been finished in gloss white paint, unfortunately, which makes them rather harsh. So decorating them involves either painting or papering them. Both of which are difficult to do when the house is totally completed. Usually I do that when the rooms are constructed but before the skirting and cornices are added, or the windows and doors are installed. Being gloss white also makes it difficult if I want to paint the walls in a low-gloss finish, which is likely since I have set this house in the present day. That way I can choose furniture and accessories from any period I wish without worrying about being correct for the time. This is a couple who love collecting antiques and have family heirlooms as well, though the home also contains modern equipment. Again, I have collected many objects to go in the house and just have to pull it all together, as well as deciding on the function of the second bedroom: workroom? second bedroom? nursery? office? My Mum gave me a lovely bedroom suite for my birthday this year, which means I have a great start on that room; I have the lounge suite and other bits for the lounge room. But I have not settled for sure on the dining room though I do have a period table and chairs with a petitpoint carpet and chair seat covers in there at the moment.

Noelle Needlework – this is a shop I have made, to fit a pre-made shop front. It is to display a selection of hand-stitched Christmas cushions and stockings and other Christmas items. Quite a few of these were completed last year for a Christmas Challenge on Petitpointers, but more need to be done.

Ann Vanture Cubby Box - I get a lot of paper product kits from Ann Vanture - books and accessories to personalise my settings. This year (2009) she brought out a Project of the Month, a Cubby Box that fits behind a picture frame with several little compartments filled with accessories. Before we left on our 6-month road trip around Australia I had completed the cubby box itself and the first month's setting, but took the next two lots with me - and haven't had time to do it on the road. So there will be plenty to catch up on when we get back just before Christmas!

Wedding Boutique – this shop features beautiful floral arrangements and bouquets by Kathy b of Miniature Artistry, to complement the colour scheme of pink, burgundy and cream. The wedding boxes, invitations, confetti etc are made from Craft Pack Company kits. As you can see I have a lot of work to do in this shop, making dresses, jewellery, and other accessories. And probably a bigger shop too!

Altered book roombox – I have put the steps involved in making this roombox in one of my picture trail albums (http://www.picturetrail.com/sandrainsydney.com) I am thinking that this might be a map shop, since the books are all on travel, so there is still a lot to do on this project too.

Conservatory – I had dismantled this for storage but will be remaking it permanently, and landscaping around it etc. In storage some of the flower baskets, which apparently were made of bread dough, disintegrated, so I have to replace many of them. I also want to include more of Kathy b’s lovely flowers instead of the lesser-quality ones I have.

Toy Shop – again, this was dismantled for storage but will be re-made permanently. I have collected the child dolls I wanted to put outside the shop, looking in, so they need to be dressed for the setting. I have many of the toys I need, and have acquired the stencils for the brickwork on the walls that I want to do. So hopefully it won’t be too major a job to get this project completed.

Quarter scale Sea Shanty – this kit is going to be my Christmas present from my husband, Peter. So it is another major undertaking this year.

All in all I think I have plenty to keep me occupied!

Sydney Miniatures Fair, 3rd May 2009

What a great way to start a blog about miniatures - with a visit to a Miniatures Fair! We don't have a Fair in every state here in Australia and there's only one each year for the states that do have one. There's not the population to support more than that. Nevertheless, we don't do too badly. The Sydney Fair is the largest, I believe. There are more than 100 traders (some with several tables), and 135 exhibitors, many of whom show several items. Traders come from all over Australia, even Western Australia and South Australia, which are long distances away, and from Tasmania. We have traders from New Zealand as well, which is actually closer than the western states, but means that all stock has to be brought over by air. We even have a dealer who comes from Holland each year.

Since it is less than a week since I have had abdominal surgery, I borrowed my mother's wheelchair and my wonderful husband pushed me around all day. Poor thing is feeling rather sore today! He carried the shopping bag and took photos for me as well, so he was really handy to have around. Apart from that I really enjoyed his company. He isn't interested in minis at all and doesn't usually come with me but this year was special - Peter was with me, and Jan, a friend from Bundaberg also visited Sydney for the Fair. It was really tiring, but I had a wonderful day - even though I kept hearing 'Sandie, stop pulling the wheelchair forward with your feet! Wait for me to position you!' I had a list of things I wanted to look for, and managed to get most of them. I also have 'favourite sellers' and like to visit them every year.

This year I wanted to see what delights Rhonda McDonald had created - she is a talented artist and does beautiful folk art on furniture. I was torn between several items of kitchen cupboards with old-

fashioned advertisements and signs painted on them and the enchanting cot and little girl's side-by-side cupboard in the photo above. I am furnishing a nursery and girl's bedroom, and already have some furniture with country scenes painted on them by Rhonda, so the pretty-in-pink furniture won out. The door and drawer fronts are covered with micro-check fabric, the drawers are lined with pretty paper and the top of the dresser section also has the check fabric. There is a range of little girl hair clips on the dresser, a hair band over the mirror arm, and teddies, a doll, a piggy bank and straw hat. Inside the wardrobe there are two dresses on padded hangers, a pair of dainty shoes, a basket, and ribbons hanging on a wire on the back of the door. The teddies on the cot are hand painted, the sheet has hand painted flowers on it and the quilt is hand quilted. There are a variety of lovely little baby requirements on top of the drawers at the side, and each drawer is lined with pretty paper.
I was pleased to find two Jia Yi display counters with clear shelves and mirrored rear doors for my wedding boutique, along with a smaller display unit. And a single black and brass bed with buttoned mattress and pillow, handmade by a couple in Nambucca, in north NSW.
Things that weren't on the list but will fit perfectly with on-going projects are a round 'bentwood' table with glass top and two chairs with faux cane seats - generic, but I would rather buy them from local suppliers than pay shipping from overseas and have to paint them myself anyway. A strawberry cheesecake on a glass cake stand. A mug with a teddy bear on it to add to my Teddy Bear roombox. 'Muddy' gumboots.
Some quarter-scale furniture and plants (at the front) were on the list and I was happy to be able to get some items by an Aussie quarter-scale enthusiast, Judy Moras, to add to an upcoming project.
Bill and Irene Cook specialise in items that are different from the usual 'pretty' things, and he is a 'must visit' table. Bill feels that 'men's stuff' is sadly neglected (which is true) and is trying to fill that niche a bit. He is a retired engineer and a talented artist. He got in to miniatures when he built his wife a dollshouse - and did everything himself. One of the British magazines came out and interviewed them and did a feature article on the house. I have visited them and saw the house 'in the flesh' and it is wonderful. Next year when Jan comes down for the Fair I hope to arrange a visit for her to see the house too. Bill does not take commissions, he makes according to what he feels like doing, and he doesn't do many of anything, so I never know what he will have.
This year I scored a telescope on a stand; a pair of guns (45s) in a felt-lined case with gun grease and ammunition; a pipe box with pipe, matches, tobacco - both those boxes ornamented on the outside; and a Samurai sword that comes out of the scabbard and has its own 'ebony' stand. I keep dropping hints about another working music box (grin) - maybe one day I'll be lucky! And I'm going to ring him and buy the rack with a rifle, powder horn and bag that I passed over yesterday too.
Lidi Stroud is a brilliant Aussie basket weaver. She makes authentic baskets using the same techniques as those used for life-sized baskets and I was hard-pressed to choose which ones to buy from the wide variety she had on offer. I will definitely be adding to my collection of these lovely items every year. I need fishing-type accessories, picnic baskets, ................
Each year I see what is on offer from a talented porcelain artisan from Tasmania, Margaret Crosswell. She wasn't there last year, and I was worried that she might not be coming any more, but she was there again yesterday. I stocked up on a collection of hand-crafted porcelain figurines, a set of three 'flying ducks' like the ones I remember from my childhood friend's house and a vase, as well as two more Santa figurines to add to my collection.
And from another lady from Tasmania, yet more snowmen, Santas, Nutcrackers and a tiny tree. My collection is growing quite nicely. This second lot is not porcelain, but my collection contains figures made from all different materials. She doesn't think she will come again next year, the cost of the car ferry and the price of petrol makes it very expensive. I hope she changes her mind, she specialises in Christmas things and I would love to get a lot more from her.
There are other favourite sellers that I didn't get to visit this year - the interest was there but the energy was lacking and the money was gone! There's always next year, and I already have the first three 50cent pieces to start my saving for next year's Fair. Every 50cent piece that comes into this house is kindly donated by my son and my husband to go in to my big money box, and I also add whatever else I can; it gets me off to a good start.
Jan and I met online. We are members of the same miniature needlework group, called Petitpointers - when I joined, Jan contacted me to say 'G'day' from one Aussie to another and our friendship has grown since. We are also both members of the Australian branch of the Miniature Needlework Society and we exhibited some of our miniature needlework as part of the MNS display at this year's Fair. Once Jan returns home I will ask her permission to publish a photograph of her gorgeous needlework - she showed two items: the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper. Exquisite work. I had various items, from designers such as Margaret Morgan of Thumbelina, Janet Granger, Felicity Price, and other sources, some of which I had adapted to suit my own requirements.
We had also each constructed a 1:48 scale cottage - our first attempts at this scale, and both done by ourselves since we don't belong to a Miniatures Club. We had each bought the kits a long time ago, before we became friends and decided to take on this new challenge to display this year. So it was a steep learning curve for us. To add to the challenge, the cottages were different. I started mine slightly earlier, and since I don't work and my kit had all the different components, I was able to work on it solidly until most of it was completed. Jan works part time, she had to order and wait for most of the components and the landscaping items, and she also lives in a Regional town that doesn't have the range of stores that I have access to here in a capital city. So I had finished my cottage earlier and tried to pass on the lessons I had learned through the mistakes I made. I am sure I will make a whole new set of mistakes with the next 1/4" (1:48) scale project I do! This cottage was really much simpler than the next one I plan on doing - and much simpler than Jan's is too, so there's a whole range of undiscovered hazards out there just waiting for me to find them.
There were such a lot of wonderful displays at the Fair - many people having more than one. I don't think I have seen any of them before, either. That is a bit sad really, it would be nice if people would display their things for more than one year, it is really enjoyable to admire them more than just once.
Highlights for me: a multi-storey 'dollhouse' with a difference: a clockcase-type structure, with glass sides and front, each level a different room, filled with truly beautiful furniture. Several attics made in a class taken by Rhonda McDonald and each completed in totally different ways. A fisherman's cottage adapted from a Witch's Cottage made in a Rik Pierce class. A stage coach displayed with 2 horses, alongside a car and a motor bike. A canal boat. A crofter's cottage. A bakery, which measured about 2' square, and had several rooms and showed the complete baking process and selling area. A 'street' of tenements based on an actual inner Sydney suburban street in the 1950's, including backyards. Three Asian settings in glass boxes by a delightful chap who works in ChinaTown. His three brothers live and work in Hong Kong and send him things from there as well. And so much more! Tomorrow I will try again to post some photos - it won't accept them tonight.